Of Confessions & Nightclubs & Heart-Shaped Emoticons
by IbtiWiptyWoo
Summary: Juvia is the bassist for the band the Element Four and Gray is a stripper at Fairy Tail. One night they meet and it changed everything. Their love is an unlikely one, but sometimes an anonymous confession and some late-night texting can help. T for strong language and suggestive themes. Modern AU. Gruvia. One-shot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

**Main pairing is Gruvia, with slices of Gajevy, Nalu, Jerza, and other pairings.** **This is a modern AU and contains some suggestive themes and strong language so that's a warning if that isn't your cup of tea. This is also **_**a lot**_** OOC, especially Gray and Juvia themselves. ****I realized that halfway through and I was like "Dammit. But what can you do ¯\_(****ツ****)_/¯."**

**The band Juvia is in is heavily based on the Arctic Monkeys, 'cause I have a headcanon that ****Totomaru's voice is just like Alex Turner's and it makes me squeal.****I got the inspiration for the initial idea from the wonderful "It Began in a Chippendale" by Quill's Feels, but I tweaked it. The plot itself is totally different.**

**Well, enough from me. Please enjoy!**

**Of Confessions & Nightclubs & Heart-Shaped Emoticons**

* * *

Juvia wasn't sure how she ended up letting Lucy, Levy, Erza and Cana drag her along to Fairy Tail.

The club, in question, was one with of great reputation, all of it well-earned, so that wasn't exactly the problem. It was just that...places like Fairy Tail weren't exactly her cup of tea. That is, if the cup of tea in question could be a shot glass, or the gin-and-tonic in front of her that was still half full. The host-slash-strip club was nice and all, but Juvia wasn't feeling very comfortable in those particular surroundings.

Fairy Tail, in question, was a unique club divided into two sections: they had hosts, and they had strippers. Different professions, but with a common goal: to add a little excitement to the lives of any lonely, drunk women or men that sauntered in. The strippers were on the first floor, the hosts on the second. The first floor had a bar and dance floor that was flooded with people of all kinds: girls, guys; old, young; drunk, high, or sober. _But most of all,_ Juvia thought, _almost every single one can be classified as _desperate_._

Juvia glanced around the club, unconsciously locating her friends. Cana was at the bar (obviously) and it seemed like she had started a tab, judging by the amount of empty glasses on the counter top. Lucy was somewhere out on the dance floor with Levy, and she could see their familiar blue and blonde heads among the crowd. She'd visited the hosts for a moment but decided that it wasn't for her. Erza had decided otherwise, and she had started a heartfelt conversation over a bottle of wine and strawberry cake with one of the hosts that worked here; a blue-haired man with a tattoo on his face, wearing a button-up with the top buttons undone. Juvia had wondered, briefly, what they might be talking about, before she fled from the far too talkative, far too charming young men that had surrounded her.

Sighing, she swivelled around in her bar seat, away from her friends and towards the bar. In contrast to her lively friends, Juvia had now been sitting at the bar for just about half an hour, next to a half-empty glass of beer and her phone in hand, being awfully antisocial. She had decided now was as good a time as any to take advantage of the free WiFi (why was there WiFi at a strip club anyway?) and had tried to block out anything else until it was time to go. Which was in about...

Juvia glanced down at her watch and groaned. _Two more hours._ Two hours and she was free.

She had nothing against this club; no, not at all. It was just that she had moved on from her life of partying and didn't want to get into the habit again. She had been here once, a few years ago, when she still worked for Phantom Lord. But she had been drunk as anything back then, and probably high too, almost all the time, so she didn't remember anything. She didn't need to—every night had been the same in her late teenaged years.

As she thought about how much had changed since then, Juvia felt a sharp tap on her shoulder, and turned around to find a certain Gajeel Redfox in nothing but boxers – if they could even be _called_ that – and a messy tie around his neck, reeking strongly of alcohol and cologne. He was a tall, bulky man, with muscles on top of muscles that looked like they would rip his clothing apart (if and when he wore any, that is). His hair was long and black and wild, and there was a permanent mischievous glint in his red eyes.

"Yo," he greeted, sitting down next to her at the bar. He called out the name of the drink he'd have to a bartender and faced her, leaning against the bar counter. "What's it been, a month? Two? Time flies, don't it."

"We skyped a few days ago," the blue-haired girl pointed out, and rolled her eyes. "Don't be dramatic."

"I meant since I saw you in the flesh." When Juvia said nothing for a few seconds, he asked, "Lily got your tongue or something? Gihihi! Surprised to see me?"

"N-no! J-Juvia just didn't expect it. You told Juvia you weren't working this week."

"I had a day off so I decided to work," he said in his defence, and added, "And I heard Shrimp was coming, so, well."

Juvia smiled fondly. "How's it going with Levy? She refuses to talk about. She always blushes like anything."

"It's going good," he answered, trying to hide the small blush on his own cheeks. He cleared his throat. "So, still speaking in third person when you're nervous, huh?" When Juvia didn't answer, he continued, "Anyway, I don't mind coming in to work on a day off. Neither does Mokarov. It feels more like a hobby than a job. Levy's fine with it," he added.

Juvia hummed thoughtfully. This explained why Levy had been so excited to go here earlier today. Still, Juvia couldn't let it go without making fun of him. "Your hobby is taking off your clothes for cash?"

Gajeel glared at her. "You pick strings for a living," he countered.

"I don't just pick, I also strum."

"That's basically the same thing."

"We're not having this conversation again," she sighed, poking her half-empty glass. "How have you been?"

"Naked, mostly. You?"

"Alright. Listen, I've been prying Levy about this, but she won't tell me—"

"I know where this is going, and I don't—"

"—what's your new stripper name?" Juvia blurted, interrupted him. "Still Real-Steel Gajeel?"

"It doesn't matter," he answered, taking a long sip of his drink.

"_Wrong._" She smiled slyly and leaned in close, as if they were sharing a deep secret, though she still had to speak louder than normal to be heard. "Tell me, Gajeel. _Please_? I'm your friend!"

He sighed before rolling his eyes and grumbling, so quietly she almost didn't hear it, "Iron Dragon."

She shook her head, not having heard over the music. "Come again?"

"Iron. Dragon!"

Juvia was silent for a while, just staring at him with a stupid grin on her face.

"_What_?" he snapped.

"You're joking?" When he didn't reply, Juvia giggled. "You're not joking? Oh God, that's priceless!" She picked up her glass and took a sip. "So how've you been, Bismuth Balls?"

"I already said _'naked'_. Now I'm irritated. _Don't call me that_," he added as an afterthought.

"Sorry, Platinum Parts." She toyed with her glass, still half empty. "I think I'll go back to the hotel. The girls are taking too long. Much longer than your Steel Scrotum, might I add."

"If we're counting in minutes to inches, how long? An hour? Two?"

"Only about three minutes, in that case," she joked. "Don't you think a name like Copper Chameleon would be more appropriate? Or Gold Gecko?"

Gajeel frowned. "Fuck you, Rain Woman."

"Language, Gajeel," a new voice said. Juvia looked up. It was the barmaid, a beautiful white-haired woman, who was cleaning a glass with a dishcloth. "She's a costumer, so be polite." She flashed Juvia a brilliant smile that contrasted almost comically with the glare she sent Gajeel. "Sorry about him. He's a wild one."

"Yeah... Sorry 'bout that, Mirajane..." Gajeel mumbled. When she had left to serve other people, he grumbled, "Speak of the Devil much..."

"Careful there, Gajeel. Don't want to get Mira angry," the two heard a smooth, low voice behind them say.

Juvia turned around to meet eyes with a man. A tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed man. He was handsome, and had a smirk on his face that showed he probably knew it, too. He was wearing...

Juvia blushed and started picking at the hem of her dress. He was wearing a thong and bowtie, showing off absolutely _everything_ he had. Which was _a lot_. He looked like he was carved out of marble by Michelangelo himself; he was absolutely_ flawless. _Yes, that was the physique of a stripper. He had the club insignia on his chest, which was much more eye-catching than Gajeel's, which was on his arm. Juvia's eyes seemed to be drawn to it.

Standing with his weight on his right leg, hand on his hip, he almost looked casual, like this was what he usually wore on the weekends while lounging about at home. And he could pull it off, too (...not in that way).

"Hey, Redfox," he greeted, sliding into a seat next to Juvia, so she was surrounded by not one, but two scantily-clad men.

Gajeel nodded at him. "Yo, Fullbuster." Juvia frowned. His name was _filibuster_? She couldn't have heard right.

"And hello to you," the man said, looking Juvia right in the eye, though hers were elsewhere.

"_Aesthetic_," Juvia blurted out, still staring at his chest, and immediately clasped her hand over her mouth. _Shit!_

"_What_?" Gajeel asked, studded eyebrow raised in confusion.

"J-Juvia said h-hi," Juvia managed, the countertop suddenly becoming the most interesting thing in the world.

"Who's this?" the man asked, indicating Juvia.

"Juvia Lockser," Gajeel answered. "Friend of mine."

The man raised his eyebrows in mock shock. "She knows you and she _still_ comes here for you? Better give her some special treatment."

"Fuck off, Ice Pants."

While the two talked (well, quarrelled) Juvia sat fidgeting in her seat, feeling more awkward than every day of high school combined.

"Oh, right, Juvia, this is Gray," Gajeel said finally, as if just remembering she existed. "Gray Fullbuster. He's a natural. At stripping, I mean. I'll, uh... I'll let you two..._talk_," he said vaguely with a certain slyness, before disappearing into the crowd, where a certain blue-haired bookworm was waiting for him, leaving Juvia wondering how on _earth_ someone could be a natural at stripping.

Juvia felt lost. What could she talk about to a stranger? (A stranger who was wearing basically nothing and happened to be a stripper?) She played with her glass.

"So, what can I do for you, Juvia?"

"Er, s-sorry, J-Juvia doesn't..."

"Third person, huh, sweetheart? But only when you're nervous, right?"

The blue-haired girl felt herself blush. _'Sweetheart'?_ "U-um, yes, um, mister—"

"Call me Gray," he said while casually leaning against the bar counter. "And what should I call you?"

She hesitated a bit, but nodded. "Juvia," she said.

"Pretty," he said after a while. "You, I mean. Ah, and pretty name, too."

Juvia didn't know how to reply. Gray winked, making her face flush. He was charming, really, and a downright flirt, though a little awkward, though it might be an act. Juvia felt embarrassed. Well, he was only one garment away from being naked, and acting like it was totally normal. Though for him, she supposed it was an everyday thing for him to be chatting up women while being in the nude.

"Tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living, sweetheart?" Gray asked, his voice smooth and slightly flirtatious, even if the question wasn't. He was acting more like a host than an stripper, though Juvia was sure she didn't mind it. She was glad he had made an effort to start the conversation so she didn't need to.

"I, uh, I'm in a band," she answered, staring at the silver cross dangling from his neck.

"Cool. What do you do?" Was he genuinely interested? He was a stripper, not a host, so why was he chatting with her?

"Bass. And electric guitar. Occasionally."

"Occasionally?"

"Occasionally."

But Mr. Fullbuster decided not to leave it at that. "No singing?"

Juvia coughed. "No, I'm terrible. R-really."

"I'm sure I'd love to hear you," he said, his voice smooth as silk.

Juvia looked mortified. "Hear me sing? Not unless you want to go deaf."

He chuckled. "I'd love to hear you play, then. Are you guys in town anytime soon?"

She felt his gaze on her, making her feel small, yet slightly bolder than before. "U-um, yes, we're playing at Lamia Scale," she found herself saying, and looked up from the silver necklace to his face. He had really _really_ dark eyes... "The nightclub. Tomorrow night. Our gig starts at ten..."

"Tickets?"

"No need," Juvia answered. "Just...look good and they'll let you in," she informed him. And that would be no problem for him. Tentatively, she added, "That is, if y-you really w-want to... You d-don't have to..."

"I'll check it out," he promised. He leaned in suddenly, and looked her in the eye. "So, sweetheart, now we got to know each other, wanna dance? Or another drink, maybe?"

Juvia averted her eyes to her hands, which were sitting on her lip. She fidgeted with a ring, sliding it up and down her finger nervously. "U-um, J-Juvia doesn't really..."

"C'mon, Juvia," he said, and she looked up to see him smiling at her, a sight that could make her melt. "You'll have a fun night with me, I promise. I can even give you some special offer," he offered.

Juvia hesitated and felt her heart drop in disappointment. _Oh yeah, that's right._ Gray worked here at Fairy Tail. He wasn't talking to her out of interest. It was his _job_. He probably didn't even remember what instrument she played; it was only to get her to open up to him. And it worked. And to think, for a second she had thought... _Well._

She stammered, "N-no, Juvia really sh-should g-get going..." She picked up her phone and purse and jumped up from her seat, leaving her half-empty glass, which now seemed strangely half-full instead.

* * *

The following night, it was nearing ten o'clock, and a certain blue-haired girl was more nervous than usual. It wasn't because of anything negative. Juvia loved performing; it was her life. And she was used to getting the regular dose of butterflies in her stomach when it was time to perform. It was all part of the experience.

But this was different. She was so nervous she had been pacing back and forth in her assigned room for over fifteen minutes without any sign that the stress would go away soon. And she had no idea why she was this nervous in the first place. She had performed (and messed up) countless times in front of much bigger crowds. Why now? It was their last gig in Magnolia; she should be happy, not worried about nothing.

"Calm down, Hot Stuff," she heard an amused voice behind her say.

She turned around to see Totomaru, the lead singer and guitarist of Element Four, leaning against the doorframe, his costume and makeup already done in time for the show.

"Hi, Toto," she greeted. "You ready?"

Juvia wasn't sure when she started calling him Toto. One time one Halloween the two found themselves without dates or parties to go to, so they watched some old movies and The Wizard of Oz happened to be one of them. A tipsy Juvia found the connection between 'Toto' and 'Totomaru' far too amusing to let it go. (Incidentally, they had also watched Frozen, resulting in a very emotional Juvia and a drunk Totomaru singing along with Queen Elsa at the top of their lungs every time they replayed 'Let it go'.)

"As I'll ever be," he replied, and Juvia snapped back to the present. "You don't look that way, though. Anything bothering you, sweetheart?" That nickname, 'sweetheart', brought back the memory from the night at Fairy Tail and Juvia let out a sigh. "No, Juvia's not ready! She's really nervous for some reason. Toto, what do you do before a show? To calm yourself down?"

Totomaru thought this over for a second, before smirking. "I just take a look at my favourite Rain Woman and I'm a-ok," he teased. Then his expression softened. "You'll be fine, Hot Stuff. Take a deep breath now and smile. That's it. You'll be fine, Juju. We're on in ten minutes."

Juvia couldn't suppress a smile and raised an eyebrow. "Juju?"

Totomaru shrugged. "That way we're Toto and Juju. Cute, no?"

Juvia nodded, giggling, and felt some of her stress disappear. Though Totomaru hadn't banished the butterflies from her stomach completely, he'd managed to loosen her up a bit.

"Thanks, Toto," she said with a smile, before he left to check on the other band members.

Juvia turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. Her costume and makeup had been done by Sue, who was their stylist (although she spent a good amount of time in front of a mirror herself). Every performance Sue tried to dress Juvia in something new, but it was always more or less the same. Being the only girl in Element Four, she always got a lot more freedom in the costume department, because the chance of her wearing the same thing as another member was less than likely. Especially if it was a dress. Then again, there had been that _one_ incident with Toto... Juvia smiled to herself. She wouldn't forget _that_ performance anytime soon. And she wouldn't be deleting the 59 photos of Toto in a hot-pink dress that she had on her phone anytime soon, either. The money from that gig all went to breast cancer research, so he said it was worth it.

Juvia stared at the mirror and thought about how much she had changed in her twenty years of life.

The Juvia Lockser in her reflection had come from nothing. She was a nameless girl that had grown up in an orphanage in a remote village with next to no friends, incredibly low self-esteem, and a bad public school education that ended the moment she graduated from high school because she couldn't afford college.

She found jobs, most of them illegal and unrelated, to pay the bills, even though she was underage. She taught herself to play guitar and bass and played on the streets to earn some extra cash. Coincidentally, she bumped into Gajeel Redfox, who she'd grown up with in the orphanage. Through him, she got a job as a dancer at Phantom Lord, a nightclub in Magnolia that had shut down a while ago due to the illegal drug dealing taking place in it. In those years, Juvia had worn her hair in tight curls at the bottom, and outfits that put American Apparel ads to shame. Her life had revolved around money, drugs, alcohol, and partying until she passed out.

After almost two years of this, Totomaru approached her on the streets when she was playing her bass. She smiled fondly at the memory; it was definitely a precious one. That was when her life had started to change for the better. She met Sol and Aria, and together, the four of them made up the Element Four.

One night after a gig in Phantom Lord, Jose Porla had taken an interest in them and became their manager. Through his connections, he had managed to get a good word in for them with some influential people. Only a few months later the Element Four released their debut album.

And it only got better from thereon out. She had adopted a better lifestyle and learned to enjoy life in other ways than getting drunk and partying. She had gotten to know Lucy Heartfilia, Cana Alberona, and Erza Scarlet through Gajeel's girlfriend, Levy McGarden, and she had let her hair down, so to speak.

So tonight she let her blue locks be as they were instead of those tight curls that confined her for so many years. She wore a leather jacket over a dark top and fastened by a studded belt at her waist was a black leather skirt, under which she wore knee-high Louboutin boots. She would never wear these clothes anywhere else than onstage. It was offstage, out in the real world, where her clothes got more modest.

For makeup, she wore basically the same thing as every night. She always wore heavy eye makeup in smoky colours and her lips were painted mature colours, like deep red or burgundy, or sometimes even purple. It made her look older, cooler. It fit the image the band had set.

Totomaru wore leather jackets with fur collars and jeans that fit his lean figure, matching a bit with Juvia's style, but with orange and red fire-like accents. His hairstyle was unique to him: it had two different colours, black and white, and parted in the middle, to be brought together in a messy ponytail. His overall appearance was quite cool and edgy. Another unique trait of his was his facial tattoo, which ran across his cheeks and nose in a straight line. It didn't mean anything, but it made him stand out. In fact, the only way to describe his style would be 'standing out'.

There was Sol, who was quite thin and had an accent that Juvia and Toto were convinced was fake. Sol was twenty-five and played guitar. He wore blazers and dress shirts in a rather ironic way, seeing as they were a band and not in an office, but his messy, yet classy look was quite popular, so everyone was fine with it.

Last but not least, there was Aria. He was bulky and big, but surprisingly the youngest of the four; he was only nineteen. He was the drummer and always wore sunglasses, even inside, and had a tendency to cry over anything and everything. Surprisingly, he also doubled as a songwriter, specializing in the sappiest lyrics ever. For clothing, he wore black and grey, primarily. He basically_ lived_ in that colour.

_Gray._

No, not Gray._ Grey._

Wait, that's right...Gray. Gray Fullbuster. He promised he would watch them tonight. Was that the reason she was so nervous right now? No. Juvia unconsciously picked at her choker. No, that was stupid. What kind of reason was that?

Juvia figured everybody must be waiting for her now, and decided to go backstage. Taking one last look in the mirror to make sure she looked all right, she carefully took her bass from the case and left the room.

Backstage, she could hear the screams and cries of the audience, pleading them to go onstage. The rest of the band was indeed waiting for her, and ready to go on.

She heard an announcer say over speakers, "And now the moment you've all been waiting for, Element Four!"

They exchanged silent nods before going onstage into the blaring spotlights. Instantly, Juvia felt 100% better. She was in her element here, on stage, with nothing to worry about. She had her bass and Toto's voice, and above all, the audience's support. Everything was fine. She had music now.

Juvia hooked up her bass to the amp, while Toto approached the microphone and instantly the crowd doubled in noise.

"You ready, Lamia Scale?" His cool voice echoed through the room.

The roar from the crowd could deafen the entire country.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you!"

Now it could deafen everyone on the face of the planet. Juvia wished Toto would stop teasing the crowd like that and get on with it already.

"Right then! Our first song is one of my favourites, dedicated to everyone's favourite bassist, 'Rain Woman'!"

Juvia loved this song because she got to start them off. Aria joined in, as did Sol, and then Toto took a deep breath and started singing and playing his guitar like it was second nature for him. His voice was cool and low and everything was fine. What had she been worrying about again?

After several of their most popular songs (including 'Rain Woman', 'Let You Burn', 'Back To Earth', and 'Wind In My Ears') and many more besides, Element Four's time was up and it was time for the next act of the evening, a band called True Lovers, to perform. One of the singers, Sherry Blendy, sported pink hair, a gorgeous smile, and an outfit that showed off her curvaceous body. Juvia looked on in admiration for a second.

"Oi, Juvia! You coming?"

She nodded and hurried backstage, where Juvia excitedly hugged Totomaru. "_Amazing,_ Toto!"

"Not as much as you, Rain Woman," he replied with a smile, his guitar already in its case. "Good job, guys. See you tomorrow at the train station."

"Where are you going, Monsieur Totomaru?" Sol asked. He always addressed people that way. Totomaru had told him countless times it made him sound like an old man. (Juvia couldn't help but agree from the sidelines.)

"Got a date with destiny," he replied with a smirk. At his band mates' shocked expressions, he said irritably, "What?"

"Well, it's just..." Aria looked at Sol for support.

"Um, we never actually thought you'd manage to find a date, Monsieur," Sol finished slowly, smiling sheepishly.

Totomaru sighed and rolled his eyes. "Figure of speech, you dicks," he said. "I'm meeting some old friends from Phantom Lord." He was about to leave when he turned to them and asked, "Wait, _why_ wouldn't I manage to get a date? What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Well, since Monsieur only ever pays attention to Mademoiselle Juvia, we thought that..."

"Nah, man," Totomaru said coolly, smirking. "I tend to go for people who aren't out of my league."

Juvia laughed. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" she asked, returning her instrument to its case. She absentmindedly ran a finger over the stickers and photos stuck on the leather cover. "You have millions of fangirls, Toto. I have...what, four fans? And that's just you guys and Gajeel." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I have to go or I'll miss the bus. Good job, guys. See you tomorrow."

And just like that, she was gone.

* * *

Outside, Juvia had successfully gotten past a horde of fans waiting for the band (primarily Totomaru) to come out and was waiting at the bus stop to get to her hotel when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Yo, Juvia!"

She turned on her heels to see Gajeel, Levy, Lucy, Cana, Erza, the blue-haired tattooed man from Fairy Tail, an unfamiliar pink-haired man, and Gray Fullbuster all come towards her. This was enough to make her eyes widen in surprise and shock, but she recovered quickly. As they came closer, she saw that Gray was smiling at her. _Smiling_. At her! We'll, it was more of a smirk, but still... What was behind his smile? Affection? Admiration? Whatever it was, it sent the butterflies back to Juvia's stomach.

Juvia caught herself grinning stupidly just before they reached her and she quickly swapped it for a polite smile.

"Good job, Juvia!" Lucy beamed as bright as the sun and hugged her friend, and Juvia returned it with her free hand.

"Thanks, Lucy," she said, smiling back.

"You were all really amazing, Juvia," Levy commended.

Under Levy's expectant glare, Gajeel shrugged and muttered, "Tch. It was all right, I guess."

"Thank you, Magnesium Member." Juvia whispered the last part so only he could hear it, much to Gajeel's annoyance.

She turned to the two unfamiliar men. She recognized them from Fairy Tail, but she hadn't the slightest idea who they were. After slight hesitation, she put on a friendly smile. "I don't think we've met? I'm Juvia."

The pink-haired man looked at her in recognition and made a low whistle as he looked her up and down. Juvia didn't fail to notice Lucy roll her eyes. "So _you're_ the chick from yesterday that Gray was—ouch!" He was cut off when said man elbowed him in the stomach. "What the _hell_, man?"

"You were good," the blue-haired man with the tattoo complimented. "I'm Jellal. Jellal Fernandez."

"This idiot's Natsu Dragneel," Gray said, pointing at the pink-haired man. "And we're already familiar with each other, no?"

Juvia found herself nodding and looked at her feet, unable to meet his gaze. "Er, yeah. Hi again," she said to her feet, still clad in their Louboutins.

"I hope you don't mind we came along to the show," Jellal said.

"Nah, she won't mind," Cana said. She held a bottle of beer in her hand and had probably finished more during the show. Juvia stopped herself from mentioning that she could get arrested for. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Precisely," Erza smiled. She met Jellal's gaze and blushed, quickly looking away.

_How cute,_ Juvia thought, noticing the lovey-dovey atmosphere between the two. _Could it be so? The infamous Titania...and a host from Fairy Tail?_

"How do you know each other?" Juvia asked, meaning Jellal, Gray, Natsu and the girls.

"Jellal and Natsu are hosts from Fairy Tail, and Gray is a.._.colleague_ of Gajeel's," Lucy said. "Natsu's my boyfriend. Didn't I tell you? Ah, well, this is him. Which reminds me, we lost you that night. Where'd you go?"

"Ah, I had something to do," the blue-haired woman lied, averting Gray's gaze, "so I left early. Sorry."

"No big deal, silly!" Lucy shrugged.

"We know it's not really your thing," Cana said, taking a long swig from her bottle. "Not anymore, anyway."

Lucy looped her arm with Natsu's. "We're all going to Quatro Cerberus for dinner and drinks. Well, the six of us are. Cana's only going for the drinks. Wanna come with?"

Juvia shook her head. "We're leaving Magnolia tomorrow," she informed them, smiling apologetically. "I'm going to the hotel early. The flight's at four AM, so this is goodbye, for now."

Levy nodded. "We understand. When are you back?"

"Not sure," Juvia said, thinking hard. "Jose – he's our manager – he hasn't said anything. Maybe a month," she guessed, though there really was no way to tell what Jose might have up his sleeve. The tour wasn't a fixed thing—they added gigs and booked stages as they went along.

"Ah, alright," Levy said in an understanding tone, nodding. She hugged her friend and smiled as she took Gajeel's hand. Juvia didn't fail to notice the blush that appeared on her face as she did so. "Good night, then. And good luck."

After the 'good-byes' and 'nice-to-meet-yous', Juvia waved her friends off and continued to wait for the bus. She'd miss them, yes, but it wasn't farewell. Anyway, she was always a bit left out when she was with the girls—besides Levy, she didn't know any of them very well. All of them grew up in Magnolia together. And besides, she didn't want to be the third wheel, what with the potential couples between them that might want some...privacy.

"Need any help with that?"

Juvia jumped and turned around to come face-to-face with none other than Gray Fullbuster, who was gesturing at her bass case with one hand outstretched. She felt a blush working its way to her cheeks as she stumbled for an answer.

"U-um, no, it's ok," she declined. "It's not heavy."

His hand retreated to his pocket and he shrugged."If you're sure."

After a moment of hesitation, Juvia questioned, "Aren't you going to eat with them?"

Gray shook his head. "Nah. Besides, with those three lovey-dovey couples there? And a drunk Cana on the loose? I'd feel awkward, like the third wheel. Actually, make that the seventh wheel," he corrected himself, grinning. Juvia couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped her lips.

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn't at all awkward. Gray's eyes bored into Juvia's, and she couldn't help but avert his coal-black gaze. It was far too intimidating.

Suddenly, Gray offered, "If you're waiting for the bus, I can take you home. My car's right around the corner." Was it just Juvia, or did he sound – dare she say it – _hopeful_?

Juvia stared at him for a moment, almost in shock. "J-Juvia can't accept a ride from a s-stranger. For all she knows, Gray might be a serial killer."

Gray rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress a small, amused smile. "We're not exactly strangers. And besides, you might be a serial killer too. And what's the chance of us both beings serial killers?"

Juvia laughed. "That's exactly what a serial killer would say."

"And that's exactly what a serial killer would say to make you think she's not one," Gray countered.

Juvia hesitated. "Where do you live?"

Gray raised an eyebrow and grinned cheekily. "Now that's something you wouldn't want to tell a serial killer."

Juvia giggled and shook her head. "Not what I meant. Sorry. Um, Juvia meant, if Gray lives near the hotel, it would be less trouble..."

"Oh," he said. "I live near the centre of town. A block away from Sabertooth. Heard of it? Maybe we could go there sometime?" he asked mischievously, as if it were a funny joke.

"I've never heard of it. But sure, I'd go with you. For now, though, I've had enough of clubbing and going out," she said. She'd love to go with Gray—really, she would. But she was so tired and worn out that she was considering crashing out on the pavement, right there by the bus stop.

Gray almost chuckled, but suppressed his laughter. "You never know, it's not like other...clubs."

Something in his expression and his tone made Juvia feel like she was missing out on an inside joke. She blushed again and stammered, "A-anyway, Juvia's h-hotel is near the air-airport, so that's all the way on th-the opposite p-part of town..." She trailed off. "Um, so, she'll t-take the b-bus. It's no trouble. Thank you, though, Gray. She r-really appreciates it," she said sincerely.

He chuckled and shrugged once again. "Hey, no problem. See you."

Juvia almost wanted to stop him, to tell him that sure, she'd love a lift, but before she could he disappeared behind the block.

* * *

That night, when Sol and Aria had already hit the hay, Totomaru returned to their hotel room at around 1 AM, and Juvia was still o

n her laptop. When the door opened, she slammed the computer closed, blushing profusely.

"Hey, Juvia."

"Hi! Man, it's late, huh?" she said, her voice a slightly higher pitch than normal.

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, you ok? You look—"

"N-nothing, Juvia is fine! She's great, in fact! Um, good night!"

Just like that, she left the room, leaving the startled man alone. Totomaru opened her computer, intending to shut it down properly, when something in the search engine caught him by surprise.

"What's this...? Sabertooth..._love hotel_? Why would Juvia search _that_?"

* * *

The rest of the tour went well for Element Four, but after the next one and a half months, they found themselves exhausted. In about five months, they had visited every city in Fiore and played there all night into the wee hours of the morning. That was a big accomplishment. It was also very tiring.

So Juvia was amazed to find a miracle had happened: Jose had agreed to give them a few weeks off to do whatever they wanted, as long as they performed at the Magnolia Summer Festival about midway through their break on the 20th of July. Juvia thought it was time for a good break anyway. She could see it already: beaches, festivals, good food...and best of all, sleeping in _every day_. She sighed in content as she played with the eggs on her plate, lost in thought.

"...think I'll go back to Oak Town to visit some friends there. So where are you going?"

Juvia looked up to meet Totomaru's eyes and his questioning tone.

"Sorry, what? Juvia...Juvia's a bit tired."

The singer rolled his eyes, but repeated his question anyway. He knew Juvia was constantly away with the fairies, and it was too late in their friendship to say he minded. And he didn't mind; it was Juvia. It was like how she spoke in third person when she was nervous. It was just _Juvia_.

"Juvia thinks she'll go to Magnolia," Juvia muttered. "Good weather up there. Good beaches too," she added. Especially the south beach. She'd heard the waves there were _sick_—or at least that's what the holiday brochures told her.

"Fair enough." Totomaru shrugged and downed his coffee in one go. "Who will you stay with?"

"Probably a hotel," she said, shrugging as well and pushing her plate away, eggs forgotten.

"What about that stripper friend of yours? With the piercings?" he asked, imitating Gajeel's nose piercing by pinching his together with his thumb and forefinger.

The blunette laughed at his terrible imitation, but shook her head. Juvia had considered staying with her big friend, but had dismissed the thought later. "Gajeel might want some..._privacy_ with Levy now that he's got some time off," she clarified, blushing heavily.

"What, they bang?"

The blunt way in which Totomaru asked this made Juvia gasp, and in the process, she almost choked on her own spit. She hit the singer's arm. "Toto!"

"Well, I just never thought about it—I mean, she's so small and he's so...big. No offence! Would it even _fit_?"

"_Toto!_"

* * *

True to her word, Juvia had decided to go to Magnolia for the few weeks she had off. She stayed in a hotel closer to the town this time called Blue Pegasus, which was about fifteen minutes from the beach by bus. On the first day back, she had met up with Lucy at the blonde's apartment. Juvia loved it there—Lucy had the best furniture and her bath was the absolute best thing in the world. The view was of a canal and there were flowers along all the windows. To Lucy's relief, Juvia didn't go to her for a bath, although she did hog the comfiest couch the blonde had.

"So, how's Natsu?" Juvia asked the blonde, who was preparing a pot of Juvia's favourite tea.

"He's doing okay," Lucy answered from the kitchen. "He's a bit tired because he worked overtime so we could go out to eat in that fancy restaurant last week, but he's probably _all fired up_ now."

Juvia laughed. "No, no—I mean, how _is_ he? Is he any good?"

The blunette laughed as the blonde's face turned red as Erza's hair. She set the pot of tea on the coffee table and joined Juvia on the couch, sputtering and stuttering that it's 'not like that.'

"Don't worry, Lucy, Juvia's only joking," the blunette clarified, still giggling at her friend's reaction. "Sorry. That's a bit personal."

Lucy shrugged it off and started pouring tea. "Well, actually—he's not bad. Better than your average host. Not too big, not too small..." Now it was Juvia's turn to blush, and Lucy winked as she handed the bassist a steaming cup.

"Now," Lucy said, settling back on her spot on the couch, "more importantly, how's Gray?"

Juvia blushed once again. "H-how should Juvia know?"

Lucy laughed and gave her friend a knowing look. "No reason."

* * *

The following week, Juvia spent every day pretty much the same: she woke up in the early afternoon, went out to eat, and spent the day at the beach, the mall, or walking around aimlessly around Magnolia. It had been peaceful and, best of all, she didn't have any responsibilities. She spent hours on her laptop in the evenings and went to bed late. It was perfect.

One day she woke up earlier than she would have liked—it was only eleven o'clock, and she didn't have much to do. She checked her Facebook and email but there was nothing going on. It was summer, after all—everyone was on vacation, having lives and getting out. Juvia didn't exactly have the time or money to leave the country right now.

She sighed and fell into the comfy pillows of the couch. She picked up her phone and decided to check something—no, _anything _to keep her occupied. After minutes of endless scrolling, Juvia almost dropped her phone on her face and choked mid-breath. She immediately sat up and stared at the screen, not sure if this was real or not.

_**Ice Make Pants**_ _gray_fullbuster_

_great job on your tour __** juvialockser**__!__and the rest of __** element4official**__ too, i guess :P_

Juvia couldn't believe it. She quickly checked and found out he had been following Element Four's Twitter ever since he had seen their performance at Lamia Scale. He must have been following their tour through this, and now he knew they were finished. And what did he mean with 'and the rest too, I guess?' She wasn't the star of the show; _Totomaru_ was. She just played bass—nothing special or noticeable about that. Most fans wouldn't even know her name.

The blunette put down her phone and put her hands on her cheeks. They were warm—Christ, she was probably blushing like hell. An idea came up to her: should she tweet something back? Nothing too personal—but enough to show she appreciated it?

No, wait, she had to plan this out. She couldn't just do whatever. She had to think this through carefully. Over the next fifteen minutes, she devised the perfect tweet in her head: _Gray, thank you for the support! It's amazing fans like you that make this worth it all! Actually, it was a fantastic first tour out of many to come and we hope to see you guys soon at our next performance in the Magnolia Summer Festival on the 20th! And maybe we could meet up before then...?_

Juvia nodded to herself and gave herself a congratulatory pat on the back. It was perfect! Not personal enough, and obviously grateful, too! She started to type but soon found it was far too long for the character limit. She could barely fit in half the message.

Juvia sighed. _There goes Juvia's plan. Juvia should have known!_

"Damn it," she muttered. In the next several minutes, she read, deleted, and rewrote the message several times and, after staring at it for the longest time, pressed enter.

_**Rain Woman**__ juvialockser_

_Thanks __** gray_fullbuster**__! We hope to see you at the Magnolia Summer Festival on the 20th :)_

Only a few minutes later, she saw the reply.

_**Ice Make Fairy**_ _gray_fullbuster_

_** juvialockser**__ no prob! i'll def be there :) should i bring my bowtie?_

Juvia's girlish squeal probably resonated through the whole hotel, but she didn't care. She let out a happy sigh and set the phone back down, thinking that if her heart kept beating like that, she'd surely die of a heart attack.

* * *

The Magnolia Summer Festival was an annual thing that was organized by the mayor of Magnolia, and was sponsored by all sorts of companies and brands. It was a pretty big deal, so the day that Juvia Lockser learned she was going to be playing in it, she felt like she was going to explode of joy and pride. She had gone to the festival twice before, but had never imagined she would be able to perform in it. It was an absolute dream come ture!

Jose had told them that their running time wasn't very long, so they could only fit in their most famous songs and a totally new single that Toto had been hinting at for weeks now. He said it would be a real crowd-pleaser, but Juvia wasn't sure what he meant.

And now that she knew, she wasn't sure about it. _At all._

"C'mon, Juvia, what's wrong with it?" Totomaru asked her, holding the sheet music and lyrics in one hand and a pen in the other. "You've sung before!"

"Only ever in the_ shower_!" Juvia countered. "Juvia can't sing in front of a crowd! She's terrible! You'll all go deaf!" she declared, making her remember what she had said to Gray that night at Fairy Tail.

_"No singing?"_

"_No, I'm terrible. R-really."_

"But...Mademoiselle Juvia, your voice is quite lovely," Sol stated, bringing her back to the present. "It is very suited for this song. I think you should do it."

"I'm sorry! It's the lyrics, isn't it?" Aria wailed, tears threatening to spill over. "I worked so hard on it! It's so sad!"

Juvia tended to her sobbing friend. "Ah, no, Aria! It's not that! Juvia's just nervous. She'd be embarrassed."

"You perform all the time," Totomaru pointed out.

Juvia put up her hands, exasperated. Why couldn't they just _get_ it? "This—this is different. I can't sing."

"You have to," Jose said firmly, speaking for the first time. "A female bassist attracts little to no attention. People don't even know your name. If you sing, your fame will skyrocket! Do it." He looked her dead in the eye. "Or you're out."

Juvia gulped and nodded. There was no way out of it.

* * *

The 20th of July came all too quickly, and although Juvia had been practicing for a full week, she was far too nervous and worried that she had accepted that she would sing. In front of all of Magnolia. _Today_.

And Gray would be watching. At least, that's what he'd said... And he came to Lamia Scale. Would he come now? Surely not only for her; he was probably planning on going to the festival anyway, since it was a pretty big thing and a must-see for tourists and locals alike.

The festival never took place in the same spot. Last year, it had been in the form of a parade named the Fantasia Parade, and the year before it had been under the rainbow blossom tree by the canals. This year, it was in the square, right in the centre of town. There was a massive area for the crowd to roam, and stalls selling festival trinkets, food, and drinks were set up around the perimeter. The stage was not very big, but raised high, and speakers were set up all around so everyone for miles around could hear the noise. A huge banner with the words 'Magnolia Summer Festival' was hanging from the stage.

Already, people were crowding around, even though it was starting in an hour. If you wanted a good view, you had to arrive early, and that's what people did, alright. There were girls in bikini tops, shorts and sneakers, and shirtless guys holding half-empty paper cups.

Juvia and the rest of the Element Four decided to change up their clothes a little—after all, the theme of the festival was summer, and a leather jacket would get far too hot in this weather without any AC to keep them cool. Their look was a lot more casual tonight, with shirts and jeans and worn-out sneakers. Sue – their stylist – had put Juvia's hair in the typical music festival fashion, with two braids meeting at the back of her head and the rest flowing like a sky-blue waterfall down her back. She wore a crop top with the words _'J'aime les mauvais garçons'_ which she found rather fitting since, well, _you know_. Under that she wore teal shorts and flats; no Louboutins for today. She was allowed a pair of aviator sunglasses so eye makeup was light, and red, red lipstick with lip-gloss that smelled deliciously of strawberries. She felt a little strange – after all, usually she performed in clothes that suggested she was in a biker gang – but a lot more comfortable than usual.

Backstage was a hassle, and they were permitted to wait in a big trailer behind the stage until it was their turn to perform. She could hear the music and even hummed along to some popular songs she knew. She would love to attend the actual festival as an audience member—one of her favourite DJs was here, and they were the opening act. A pair of rappers she knew Toto admired were performing before them, as were a band that Aria constantly cried over because they were so beautiful. It was a bit of a shame that they couldn't watch their performances, but the thrill of performing themselves won that emotional battle.

It was about two o'clock when they started getting ready. Their sound check had been hours before, and they were ready after all their practice, but it was nerve-wrecking to actually go up on stage, even after all their experience. Still, the band managed to keep calm until they were on the side of the stage, waiting for the announcer to announce their cue.

"And now, put your hands together for the Element Four!"

The crowd went wild – perhaps it was more in excitement for the festival than in recognition of the band itself – and Juvia felt her worries disappear as they entered. Totomaru looked completely calm as he grabbed the microphone and started teasing the crowd. She wished, once again, that he'd hurry up—they didn't have all day.

They played their most popular songs, as well as two or three popular songs from their newest album, until it was time for the 'grand finale' or so to speak.

"Thank you!" Totomaru's voice echoed and the crowd cheered. "You've been a wonderful crowd today! For our last song, we're doing something very special. Put your hands together for our very own wonderful bassist, Juvia Lockser!"

Despite probably not knowing her at all, the crowd went wild as she approached the microphone next to Totomaru's. She had swapped her bass for an acoustic guitar, as had Toto, and Sol was at a keyboard instead of his guitar. Aria was still at his drum set, waiting for Juvia to start, wishing anxiously that his lyrics were good enough.

Juvia took a deep breath and started to strum, and the audience screamed as she started singing.

Sol started to play some chords and, when she entered the chorus, Totomaru joined her in his calm, supporting voice. The crowd eventually found the beat and clapped along. They weren't screaming, they weren't dancing; they were captivated by this new development. This song was soft; it was happy and sad all at the same time—it wasn't like the usual Element Four stuff. It wasn't their style or even their genre and it wasn't listed on their albums, but what Totomaru and Aria had captured beautifully was something that was both a part of this, and something that was far beyond it.

This song was so very Juvia.

And, as she was singing once again, gathering more confidence with every verse, every clap from the audience, every note Toto sang beside her, Juvia felt herself smiling.

As they ended, the crowd cheered louder than ever before and Juvia smiled, unable to say anything, just smiling.

* * *

Right before she went to bed that night, Juvia quickly tweeted a thank-you to the fans and noticed something that made her heart beat go _pitter-patter._

_**Ice Make Fairy**_ _gray_fullbuster_

_**juvialockser**__ that was breathtaking. i could never go deaf from that._

* * *

The next morning Juvia was woken up by her ringtone. After a few seconds, she regretted setting this annoying tune as her ringtone. She tried to ignore it, but it was just so _persistent_.

Groggily, she rose from her bed and picked up her phone. She couldn't see the screen – she hadn't put her contacts in yet – and couldn't read the caller ID.

Juvia cleared her throat before she spoke. "Hello? This is Juvia Lock—" She stopped to yawn. "—Lockser." She scratched her head and laid back down on top of the covers.

"_Yo, Juvia!"_

Juvia sighed. "Gajeel, why did you wake me up, I was _sleeping_—"

"_I woke you up? Gihihi! I mean, sorry."_

"What is it?"

"_Oh, good job yesterday, by the way. Anyway, Levy's organizing a picnic. Dunno why. She says it's so we can all bond…"_

"Well she_ did_ study chemistry at uni—"

"_Shut up. So can you come? We're meeting in Magnolia Park at twelve. You can bring some food or something if you want."_

"Food? Like what?"

"_Like, I dunno—" _There was a muffled sound in the background, and Gajeel suddenly said, _"Potato salad?"_

"Potato salad? Why potato salad?"

"_Never mind! It was a suggestion! Jesus, woman."_

Juvia sighed in exasperation from how strange her friend was being and opened the blinds. She blinked and squinted against the sharp rays of sunlight that streamed through. "Thanks for the suggestion, anyway. I've got another week or two off, so I'll come." She yawned again and scratched the back of her head. "So! How's the ole' Barium Basilisk?"

"_Oh, my God, not this fucking shit again—"_

"Wait, wait, I've been working on these. What do you think of Nickel Noodle?"

"_Juvia, stop it, Jesus fuck—"_

"Silver Shlong?"

There was muffled laughter from his end of the line and then Gajeel started yelling.

Juvia frowned. "Gajeel, what's that sound? Is that a TV...?"

"_No, I'm—oh, my God, shut the fuck up, you guys. Damn it, Natsu! Give me my phone! I'll kill you!"_

Juvia furrowed her brow. What was happening? 'You guys'? What did Natsu have to do with this? This was confusing. "Gajeel, what—"

"_Hey, Juvia!"_

This was definitely not Gajeel. "Wait, where's Gajeel? What's happening?"

"_You're on speaker! Say hi! Is Lucy there? No? Say hi to Lucy! Oi, Fullbuster, Strauss! Juvia's on speaker!"_

"_Juvia! Good job!"_

"_You were a _man_!"_

"_Yeah, you guys were amazing! Oi, Gajeel, stop it—"_

Juvia paled. Immediately her phone erupted with Gajeel yelling profanities and all sorts of laughter and talking in the background. Juvia swore she heard someone repeatedly just yelling 'man!'

She had never clicked 'end call' so quickly in her life.

* * *

Despite that embarrassing episode in the morning, Juvia had decided to show up at the picnic. She had nothing better to do, anyway, aside from boring herself to death by re-watching old shows and listening to the same old songs. She could use a breather, so to speak, from all that suffocating procrastination.

She had decided to drop by the local market and buy some food there instead of making something, seeing as the extent of her culinary equipment in the hotel did not exceed a simple microwave and several wooden chopsticks from Chinese takeaway.

She took a bus to the marketplace. In the end she decided on fresh rucola salad (without cheese or eggs or nuts, because someone might have an allergy) and summer fruit salad. Placing both containers into her beach bag – which was the only bag she had used for the past week – she started to walk towards Magnolia Park. She'd been there a few times on her way to the beach or wherever and if you were in it, you would never think you were in the middle of a bustling city.

As Juvia made to enter the park, she caught a glimpse of unruly black hair and blue hair that was just a shade lighter than her own. Waving, she called out, "Gajeel! Levy!"

Both turned and Levy smiled, waving back. "Juvia! Over here!"

As the blunette approached the duo, she saw it was not only them that had arrived. Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Cana, and Jellal were all there as well, wearing tank-tops and shorts to fight the hot weather. Levy looked especially cute in a yellow sundress with a matching bandana in her hair.

"Great to see you!" Levy exclaimed, hugging her friend a little uneasily with the loaded picnic basket in her thin arms. "I'm glad you came."

After Levy elbowed him, Gajeel mumbled, "Yeah, yeah...me too."

"It's no problem," Juvia assured them both. She reached into her beach bag and took out the salads. "Um, I brought something over. It's no potato salad, but—"

Gajeel let out a giggle and Levy elbowed him again. "It's fine, don't worry!" Levy assured her, though she didn't understand the reference. "We're just waiting for the others to arrive."

Juvia cocked her head. "The others?"

Levy nodded. "Yeah, we invited some friends of Gajeel's. Mirajane, Lisanna and Elfman Strauss, Laxus, Bixlow, and Evergreen. You might have met them." At Juvia's blank look (she didn't know any of these people) Levy quickly added, "Well, you'll meet them soon."

Juvia nodded and left to greet the rest of her friends. Lucy had brought her terrier puppy, who was named Plue, along. When Juvia saw him, she immediately took a liking to him.

"You have a puppy!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Since when!"

"Since yesterday," Lucy answered. "I adopted him from a friend of Natsu's whose dog had a litter. Isn't he cute? C'mon, Plue. Aren't you a cute boy?" Juvia nodded fiercely and embraced the pup.

"Aw, you're adorable," she told Plue, kissing the top of his head and squealing. "Ah, I think I'm in love!"

"With me, I hope," a cool voice said from behind her, and Juvia paled and turned around. A blush crept up to her cheeks as she saw the object of her flustered state. At this, Gray chuckled, as one hand escaped the confines of his pocket and petted the dog's snow-white fur. "I'm only joking, Juvia. But there's this thing called bestiality—might not wanna get caught up in that." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "As an alternative, my offer still stands."

Despite herself, Juvia giggled, still red as a tomato. She put Plue down, as he had started shaking uncontrollably and she figured the poor thing just wanted to go back to its owner.

"Juvia might just take you up on that offer," she said. Almost immediately she clasped a hand over her mouth. This surprised herself—where had _that _come from?

Gray laughed, much to her relief and dismay. She wished he took it seriously—but then again, she wasn't even sure if _she_ meant it seriously. In any case, she was relieved he left it at that.

"How are you?" Juvia asked, trying to change the subject.

Gray bought it. That, or he just went along with it. "I'm doing great," he said sincerely. "It's getting hot out, though." He sighed tiredly and squinted as he looked up at the sun in the cloudless sky. "You have no idea how much I want to take off my shirt right now."

Juvia held back a laugh. "I can't tell if you're a workaholic or just really hot." At this, Gray raised an eyebrow. "J-Juvia means, n-not hot, as in, _hot hot_—hot as in t-temperature. I mean, not that you're _not_ hot. You are! Shit—I mean—just—never mind." Juvia was mortified. _God, I want to die! Why am I acting like an idiot?!_

Gray looked stunned before blushing and looking away, averting her eyes. "C-cute..." he muttered, so softly Juvia wondered if she'd imagined it.

Juvia flushed a deeper shade of red – she wondered if it was possible to blush any more than she was – and was about to stutter something, when Gajeel whistled and yelled, "Oi! Stop flirting over there! We got a picnic to go to!"

Juvia was horrified, but Gray didn't seem to be bothered by Gajeel's assumption. As the two joined the group – which had grown by six new faces – they started walking towards the picnic tables and set everything out. Juvia met Mirajane Strauss – who she remembered from Fairy Tail – and her fiancé Laxus, and the white-haired barmaid's younger brother, Elfman, a stripper, and Lisanna, also a barmaid. All three siblings worked at Fairy Tail. Evergreen, Elfman's long-time girlfriend, was an ad model, and Bixlow, Lisanna's boyfriend, was a DJ on a radio station.

As everybody was eating, drinking and having fun, Juvia and the Strauss sisters were talking. Juvia found out a lot of things. They were originally German, but moved to Fiore when they were very small. Lisanna was taking an internship at a local vet, and had studied abroad for a few years. She heard many embarrassing stories about their brother, Elfman, and how he sometimes got himself into comedic situations, all while yelling out things about being a "man!"

"_Really_?" Juvia's eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs and her eyes went wide. "You and Erza used to date, Mirajane?"

"That's right. For two years," the older sister confirmed, sipping on the lemonade that she had brought.

"How did you two meet?"

"Actually, Mira, Elfman, Cana, Erza, Gray, Natsu and I are all childhood friends," Lisanna said, sipping her lemonade. "We've known each other for ages. They come to Fairy Tail all the time. Lucy and Natsu have had some sexual tension for a while, and Jellal and Erza have...quite a history."

"Why did you two break up? If you don't mind me asking," Juvia added.

Mirajane giggled. "Aw, you're so cute! I don't mind, not at all." Mira sucked on her straw, deep in thought. "I suppose it just didn't work out. We found out we'd rather stay friends. It was a pretty bad breakup, though. We didn't speak for months."

Juvia nodded understandingly. "I had a pretty bad breakup, too." She thought of Bora. They still hadn't spoken since their breakup nearly three years ago. "It's hard. But I'm glad you're still friends."

"Me too," Mira agreed. "I'm sorry for saying this so bluntly – this is a little personal, of course – but I have a feeling you aren't friends with your ex."

"You could...say that," Juvia mused. "After our breakup, Bora and I cut off all ties. And now he's living at Her Majesty's pleasure." She laughed weakly and humourlessly as she played with her straw, swirling around what little lemonade she had left.

The sisters didn't seem to understand the expression, so Juvia said bluntly, "He's in prison."

"Oh! Ah. I'm sorry," the sisters said sympathetically.

"It's his own fault," Juvia said, shrugging it off. "To be honest, I stopped caring when he cheated on me. He was a pretty shitty guy."

"That's kinda cold, don't you think?" a familiar voice asked. Gray, suddenly popping up out of nowhere, took a seat at their table. "Who's this shitty guy?"

"It's not you, don't worry," Lisanna said. "It's Juvia's ex-boyfriend. He's in jail now." Juvia willed her to not say any more, and thankfully Lisanna left it at that.

"Jail? Sounds like a troublesome guy," Gray said. "I wouldn't want to go on a date with a troublesome guy." It could be an offensive statement, but the way he said it made her realize he was just trying to lighten the mood of the conversation.

"No? Who would you go on a date with?" Juvia asked, playing along.

"A tall, dark and handsome stripper," Gray mused. "About 6"4. Tattoo on his chest."

"Sounds good," Juvia agreed. "But where could I find such a man?" Juvia was praying to every god that he would continue with this. Because maybe, just maybe...

"I know of a guy. What would you say to him?"

"I'd ask, 'Would you like to go out with me?'"

Gray nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

Juvia raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer. "And what would Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome Stripper say to that?"

Gray smirked. "He'd say tomorrow at two at the beach, then out for dinner. What does Juvia say?"

Juvia giggled and, shocked by her own boldness, leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Juvia says it's a date."

For the rest of the picnic, Juvia felt like she was dreaming. If her shared glances and smiles with Gray were anything to go by, she might as well have been, because this was perhaps far too good to be true.

* * *

The next day, Juvia actually made an effort to wake up early. (Her definition of 'early' differed drastically depending on the situation. Because she had a date, it meant at least four hours prior so she had time to get ready.) After taking care of the necessities – showering, brushing her teeth, putting in her contacts, eating breakfast – she checked and re-checked everything she needed for the day was ready.

Beach bag? Check. Towel? Check. Bottled water and sunscreen? Check. First aid kit? Check. Money, phone, iPod, makeup bag, tissues? Some snacks? Check and check! Juvia smiled to herself. Last but not least, her outfit—

"Oh, _no_." Juvia had completely forgotten. She didn't even have that much with her, considering she was on vacation. She didn't think she would land a date, so she hadn't packed her date-worthy clothes with her, much less anything very cute. And she had a feeling showing up in a shirt and pyjama bottoms wasn't a very appropriate thing to do. Sue was on vacation, too, with her Element Four wardrobe locked away, so she couldn't access even that.

_God, I even left my blue bubble skirt, _she thought to herself as she began to toss neatly-folded clothes around on the floor, searching, hoping, praying there was _something_ she could wear.

In the end, Juvia decided to do what she always did: call Lucy.

"_Hey, Juvia. What's up?"_

"LUCY OH MY GOD LISTEN JUVIA HAS A DATE IN FIFTY-FIVE MINUTES BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO WEAR BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T PACK ANYTHING AND DEAR GOD DOES SHE NEED YOUR HELP."

That gave the blonde quite a shock. _"Sweetie, calm down. Take a breath. So, what's wrong?"_

"J-Juvia—Juvia has a _d-date_."

Lucy's squeal quite possibly deafened Juvia's right ear. "Juvia! That's great! With who? Give me the details!"

Lucy's demanding tone forced it out of the blunette. "Um, w-with Gray. Gray Fullbuster. Today at the beach. But—"

"_That's amazing! You guys are so perfect together!"_ It took Lucy a while to recompose herself. _"But...?"_

"But Juvia doesn't have anything to wear. She didn't really pack that much."

"_You're going to the beach, right? Just wear your swimsuit with a cute tee and shorts. Don't you have that sunhat with the bow?"_

Juvia looked around hopelessly at her clothes scattered on the hotel room floor. When she spotted the hat in question, she almost leaped for joy. "Yes, Juvia does have it!"

"_Okay, take that. You were wearing those cute sandals yesterday, too, and don't you have a flower-patterned sundress? Wear that over your bikini and you're set! Ah, no makeup, either. Either it will run when you swim or it will melt in this heat."_

Juvia gathered the assigned clothes as her friend had been talking.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Lucy! You make it seem so simple. You're like God! Or Jesus! Or both _combined_!"

Lucy chuckled to herself, already used to her friend's strange antics. "Anytime, Juvia."

* * *

Juvia went exactly with what Lucy had suggested. Over her blue bikini, she pulled on the sundress, which reached her knees and was a soft mixture of pastel-coloured flowers. Her feet were adorned with a pair of beaded sandals, and her toenails and her fingernails were painted a pretty lilac. Her hair was in a side braid and her sunhat completed her ensemble. The bow on the hat was slightly askew, but it didn't matter. Sadly, Lucy was right about the makeup part, so her face would have to go _au naturel _today. But it was already nearing 1:40, so she had no more time to be vain in front of a mirror. She had to leave.

Feeling incredibly nervous and a little self-conscious, she took her beach bag and set out. The butterflies were threatening to explode in her stomach. She'd take the bus for a fifteen-minute ride, and then walk to the beach. They had agreed, after the picnic, to meet at a newsstand where she knew magazines and newspapers were sold. It would be easier to find each other that way. And arriving five minutes earlier meant she would definitely be on time.

It was a hot day, as usual, but the sky was cloudier than yesterday. It didn't matter; nothing could spoil her day now! It was all going so well already. She just had a good feeling about it all.

As she waited by the newsstand, basking in the sunshine and enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of the boulevard, Juvia heard someone call out her name. She looked up to find Gray Fullbuster, absolutely shirtless and wearing on swimming trunks and sunglasses. He took them off and she was greeted by the sight of his dark, dark eyes and on cue, she melted.

"Hey! You came," he said, sounding surprised and overjoyed.

"Of course," Juvia said, smiling stupidly but not being able to stop. "H-hi."

"Hi." Gray and extended his hand to her. In it, he was holding a single dandelion, in perfect sunny yellow bloom. A small ribbon was tied to the stem. "I really wanted to get you a nice bouquet, but it wouldn't be really smart since, well, we're going to the beach, so I got you this...I know it's not much..."

Juvia gasped and accepted it, sticking it in the end of her braid. "Juvia loves it! Thank you. It's so pretty."

"It's not the only one," Gray blurted. He blushed and looked away awkwardly. "W-well, come on, I got us a spot."

Juvia smiled at his cute behaviour and followed him towards the beach. He had already set up a beach blanket and a parasol. Juvia set down her bag and took out her towel and sunscreen. They sat down under the shade, and Gray gestured at his bag.

"I, err, brought some food and things. Water, too. If you want it."

Juvia nodded and glanced at her own bag. "Ah, so did Juvia...sorry," she added, mumbling.

"No, no—don't worry, that's great. More food for me," Gray said, chuckling. He was lying down on his side comfortably in the shade of the parasol. For a while, he just sat there, looking at her. Juvia took off her hat and sandals, feeling self-conscious. She was always in her bikini at the beach, but now Gray was watching her and he was completely shirtless and _wow _what a shirtless man he was. Juvia had to keep from openly ogling him and she prayed to God he didn't notice.

Deciding this dress was far too hot, Juvia quickly pulled it off, revealing her bikini underneath. It was a nice blue a few shades darker than her own hair, and she had picked it out with Lucy once.

"_Wow."_

Juvia blushed and sat in front of him, under the shade of the parasol. "Um, so, h-how are you?" she asked, unable to meet his gaze. She was more nervous than ever. The blunette wished she could be playful and even flirtatious, like at the picnic.

"I'm great," he answered. "You?"

"G-good, thank you," she said. She was a little shy about the whole thing, suddenly—maybe she should have left her dress on? Maybe he didn't really like her body?

"So, Juvia." But Gray didn't get any further than that, because he was grinning stupidly. "Let's play a question game," he suggested. "You ask me a question, and I answer. Then I ask you a question, and you answer. Sound good?"

Juvia nodded, happy to have something to talk about. "Okay. Um, where are you from?"

"Magnolia," he answered. "I was born here. Lived here all my life long. My turn. Where are _you_ from?"

Juvia smiled. "Not very original today, are we?" She looked up to meet his gaze. "I was born in Russia and it is my official nationality, but I don't remember ever living there. I don't speak a word of Russian either. I lived in Oak Town most of my life." She thought of another question. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Dark blue. Like my tattoo," he said, pointing at his right pectoral, where the fairy tattoo was located. Juvia blushed. "Okay, next. What kind of music do you listen to?"

"Jazz and heavy metal," she said. "But I like the odd pop song here and there. Um. Have you ever had a pet?"

"I had a goldfish once called Sammy," he said, "but I wanted a dog because you can walk with them and play with them except my brother Lyon is allergic. So. I never got a dog."

"Why don't you get a dog now?"

He shrugged. "Not enough time on my hands. I'm not exactly home every night, either, so who would take care of it?" Gray sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "But it's all good. I liked Sammy. He was a good fish." He took a moment to think of another question, and looked her in the eye, a glint of _something_ in his eyes. "Okay, my turn again—can I kiss you?"

Her eyes widened. "Y-yeah—you c-can," she answered, already starting to blush, and before she could do anything he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. It was soft and smelled of shampoo and his minty-fresh cologne and a nice warm sunny feeling bubbled in her stomach.

When he pulled back and looked her in the eye, he smiled. "Wanna go for a swim?" He jumped up. "First one in the water!"

She smiled and jumped up, blushing like anything, and ran to him, following him into the water with her heart bursting.

* * *

Before Juvia or Gray knew it, it was eight-thirty and time to leave because Gray had a shift at Fairy Tail at 9:30. They had swam and eaten ice cream and enjoyed each other's company and Juvia's heart had gone _pitter-patter pitter-patter_ the whole time, but in a good way—in the best way possible.

Juvia shivered as they walked down the street. Wordlessly, Gray took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders, and Juvia thanked him, stuttering and blushing.

"Hey, can we exchange numbers?" he asked suddenly. Juvia looked up at him in wonder. He looked nervous and awkward and he was blushing like mad. _How cute,_ Juvia thought.

Then she blinked as she processed what he said. Had Gray just asked for...?

The expectant look on his handsome face gave her the answer: yes, he had! She couldn't believe it. Nodding, she took her phone from her bag and extended it to him. He first entered his number and handed it back, and Juvia accepted the phone with a smile. "Thanks."

"No prob. Hey, so, can you put yours in my—"

Before he could continue his sentence, though, the bus arrived and Juvia looked at it anxiously.

"On second thought, could you just text me later tonight?"

"Sure," Juvia agreed, as the doors of the bus opened. She looked back one more time. "Bye, then. Thanks again."

He gave her a half-smile and a wave. "Goodnight, Juvia."

"Goodnight, Gray."

When it was already too late, she realized she was still wrapped in his jacket, warm and soft and smelling of minty-fresh cologne.

* * *

The moment she got home, the bassist took out her phone and stared at Gray's number. After contemplating it for what seemed like ages, she started typing.

_8:59 Thanks so much for today :) Juvia had a wonderful night._

_9:01 Oh, but Juvia still has your jacket. Sorry, Juvia forgot... _

A few seconds later, she got a reply:

_9:02 no prob! :) i had a lotta fun ;)_

_9:02 i'll come by and get the jacket some time? _

_9:03 oh and do u like my name? ;)_

Juvia blinked, confused, and then looked up at the contact name and blushed. He had put his name in as 'Gray :) :D'. She would have rolled her eyes if Gajeel or Toto had done this, but it was Gray. She didn't know exactly how to respond, but she found herself grinning.

_9:05 It's very cute :)_

After a few seconds, she wrote:

_9:06 What's Juvia's name then?_

Several seconds later, he sent her a screenshot of his screen with her contact details on it.

_**Name: Juvia 3**_

_**Phone #**_

_**Address: idk :( i'd know if you told me...**_

Juvia smiled and even gave a giggle at this. She didn't know what to make of the heart next to her name, but maybe it was a joke. Maybe it wasn't.

Strangely enough, she was more than okay with that.

_9:09 Blue Pegasus hotel, room 505 :) I'm free tomorrow at noon if you want to come by._

In almost no time, she got the reply.

_9:10 yeah! i'll be there at 2-ish?_

_9:11 Sounds good :) Good luck on your shift. And goodnight._

_9:12 thnx. goodnight Juvia 3_

* * *

The next thing Juvia knew there was someone insistently knocking at her door and the first thing she thought was if she could file a complaint about hotel door abuse. After a few seconds, a muffled male voice asked, "Juvia?" and she paled. The blunette jumped from the covers, mussing up her hair and pulling on a pair of discarded pants from the floor. She held her alarm clock up to her face and squinted so she could read the neon-red numbers that flashed on the screen: _2:06_.

Her eyes widened. "Shit. _Shit!_"

The knocking stopped. "Juvia?"

"J-Juvia—Juvia will be right there!"

She rushed over to the door, smoothing out her hair and shirt. She wished she had gone to bed in something nicer – an old tie-dye shirt was hardly attractive, and neither were jogging pants – as she opened the door to reveal a handsome Fairy Tail stripper standing in the cramped hallway.

"Uh, sorry, did I get the wrong time?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he took in her appearance. "Sorry, did I wake you up—"

"No! No, Juvia has been up for hours," she blatantly lied, and he chuckled. Juvia sighed. "Sorry, Juvia was tired. She forgot to set her alarm...she really meant to be awake by now..."

Gray shook his head. "Hey, don't worry, it's absolutely fine. Can I come in?"

Juvia nodded enthusiastically and held the door open. "Of course! Where are Juvia's manners!"

"Thanks for having me," he said, stepping inside. Juvia hastily closed the door behind them. "I'd hang up my coat, but I think you still have it..." He smiled cheekily.

"Right!" Juvia exclaimed, dashing to her room to get it. She retrieved it from her dresser and dashed back to the living room, where Gray was on the couch. "Here," she said, offering it to him. He took it with a grateful smile.

"Thanks," he said.

"Ah! Juvia will get you something to drink," she said, standing up.

Gray shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He shifted in his seat. "Um, I was wondering if you'd...like to go out sometime again...with me...on a date."

Juvia blushed. _God, how much am I going to blush around him?!_

Gray took her silence as an answer. "It—it's okay, you don't_ have_ to—"

"No! No, Juvia would love to," she said quickly, blushing even more. Her cheeks were both crimson. "Sorry, I was just surprised you'd want to go out with me again."

Now it was Gray's turn to be surprised. "Why wouldn't I?"

Juvia fidgeted nervously, not sure what to say. She blushed even more, if that was possible. "U-um, w-well, J-Juvia...isn't a very likable person...she's gloomy and a-awkward, a-and..."

"I disagree. I think – and I'm speaking from experience here – that you're a likable person," Gray stated. "I had a lot of fun yesterday."

Juvia looked up at him shyly. "You—you're sure you really liked it?"

Gray smiled reassuringly. "Of course I did. What's not to like?"

* * *

_July 25_

_9:54 hey is it ok if i text u? like, regularly?_

_9:56 Juvia is okay with that :)_

_9:58 great! so what colour bowtie would be better? blue or green? i can send u some pics..._

* * *

_July 26_

_10:15 good morning sunshine 3_

_10:16 Good morning Gray :)_

_10:16 how r u?_

_10:17 Good. And you?_

_10:18 i'm hella fine ;)_

_10:20 Gray..._

_10:21 what? i only speak the truth!_

_10:22 Juvia is just joking ;)_

* * *

_July 29_

_3:26 hey do u think fish get songs stuck in their head?_

_3:27 Gray, it's 3 A.M._

_3:27 yeah but i have a lot of important questions. what happened to amelia_

_3:29 Amelia who?_

_3:30 idk, that airplane woman, u know_

_3:35 amelia earhart? that's her name... i just looked her up?_

_3:36 but it doesn't say what happens to her?_

_3:42 juvia?_

_3:43 Gray, are you drunk?_

_3:44 no! i only get drunk on life, my friend ;)_

_3:45 ...and beer..._

_3:45 it's cana's fault..._

_3:46 Gray, it's 3 A.M. Please go to sleep._

_3:50 FINNNEEE_

_3:51 ilysm 3_

* * *

_August 1_

_7:20 april fools!_

_7:35 Gray, it's August?_

* * *

_August 2_

_4:20 420 blaze it_

_4:21 Juvia swears to God..._

* * *

_August 4_

_9:12 Thank you for the date yesterday. It was wonderful :)_

_9:13 great! i'm glad u liked the movie_

_9:14 Yeah... Could Juvia choose the movie next time, though?_

_9:15 sure but why_

_9:17 what's wrong with nemo in 3D? it's a beautiful film_

_9:18 Yes, but Juvia doesn't want to cry in the movie theatre again..._

_9:19 it's ok, i was crying too_

* * *

_August 6_

_11:33 Juvia's about to board the plane. She'll be back to Magnolia in two weeks :)_

_11:34 aww :'( have fun in crocus_

_11:35 don't forget me tho ;)_

_11:37 Thank you :) Don't worry, Gray, Juvia definitely won't._

* * *

"Juvia, we're going to a bar, wanna come?" Totomaru asked.

"Hmm? No, I'm going out."

"Okay, well, your loss. See you."

Almost a week had passed since Juvia and Gray's date and in that time, she thought of him too regularly for him to be a mere one-night-only thing. Now, Element Four was still in Crocus, and would be going back to Magnolia in one more day. But Juvia couldn't wait.

Having found themselves ahead of schedule, the band members of Element Four found themselves with some extra free time. The boys had decided to go to a bar, while Juvia had decided to visit an art exhibition near the centre of town. It was called _Confessions by Anonymous_, and sounded rather interesting, so she decided to check it out.

She took the bus to the city centre and leaned against the back of her seat, thinking, once again, of Gray. She couldn't figure out why she kept letting her mind wander back to him all the time. What was wrong with her? There was only one real explanation for it, but—

No. No, that couldn't be it. She hadn't felt that for a long time, not since her horrible breakup with Bora a year ago. But it...it made sense. It clarified why she kept thinking of him, why she kept reliving the moments she'd experience with him...

She was in _lo—_

As if on cue, the bus came halting to a stop and it was time for Juvia to get out before she could even finish the thought. All the better, because it meant she didn't have to think about it anymore. She roamed the busy city streets, following street signs and squeezing through the dense crowds. When Juvia arrived at the building where the exhibition took place, she was greeted by an overly excited guide. She was a woman not much younger than Juvia with dark eyes and caramel-coloured hair in a brightly-coloured uniform. Her nametag read _Milliana_.

"Hi there!" She smiled at her, and continued talking without waiting for an answer. "I'm Milliana! Are you here to contribute to the exhibition? That's great! Please come this way..." Then she basically pushed Juvia into the building without hearing her reply until they approached a stall with a curtain before it, hiding the inside from view. It looked a bit like a photo booth, minus the photo part. Milliana shoved her into it and Juvia stood, perplexed, inside the tiny cubicle.

"Contribute to the exhibition...?" she wondered out loud, glancing around the booth. There was a shelf that served as a table with pens and paper on it, and a little box with a lock on it that read: _Confessions Here!_ On the wall was a colourful poster with instructions on it. It read:

_In the Confessions by Anonymous art exhibition, we wanted to try something different. Instead of displaying art by artists, we're displaying art by anybody who wants to contribute. Simply write a confession on a slip of paper and give it in, signed as 'Anonymous'. Remember not to leave any personal information whatsoever on it. Your confession could be a dream, a regret, or your deepest, darkest secret... _

Juvia hesitated. Should she? If so, what should she write? Well, there was no harm in it... Nobody could ever find out it was her, right?

Without thinking, Juvia picked up a pen and a slip of paper, carefully writing out each word in neat print. She carefully picked up the slip, folded it in half (why were her fingers trembling?) and hesitated once more, before thinking, "Why the hell not?" and inserting the slip of paper into the box.

She quickly got out, her mind in a trance. Had she made the right decision? There was no harm in it...but there was no undoing it either. Anyway, nobody could guess it was her. The confessions would be in a different font entirely, so no one would recognise her handwriting. And she hadn't even given her gender away. If anything, her confession just sounded like a horny middle-aged man wanting what he couldn't have. Convincing herself of this, she passed several framed white canvases with various confessions on them in black bold print, but she didn't process any of the words. Instead, the words of her own confession burned in her brain.

_I'm in love with a stripper—Anonymous_

* * *

The following week, after many busy all-nighters spent performing and drinking, and long days that Juvia chose to sleep through, Totomaru had arranged a 'family bonding time trip' for Element Four to a certain art exhibition.

It was not exactly the best topic to discuss with three half-asleep young adults over breakfast.

"Why, Monsieur?" Sol asked, his tone almost whiny as he sipped his coffee. "We are not even family."

Totomaru rolled his eyes. "We need to get to learn each other better! We're not just a band, we're blood brothers. Err, and sister. _Basically _family. We need to spend more time with each other," he declared, bringing his fist down on the table to prove his point.

"We're already together 24/7, Toto," Juvia reminded him, yawning. She cradled her head in her hands, leaning on the tabletop to prevent falling asleep in her cereal bowl. "What's the _real _reason?"

"There is no other reason! I have no ulterior motive _whatsoever_!"

Juvia, Aria, and Sol all raised their eyebrows in disbelief.

Totomaru sighed. "Okay, fine, you got me," he sighed, holding up his hands in defeat. "Jose wants us to produce more songs for our new album. I have no inspiration, and Aria hasn't been churning out lyrics as well as he used to. No offence! So this is the perfect solution. Also, the exhibition's free," he added as an afterthought.

"Monsieur is such a cheapskate," Sol muttered.

And so the Element Four found themselves in the Mermaid Heel art gallery, surrounded by dozens of peoples' fears, regrets, wishes, dreams, and secrets—all signed by one unanimous anonymity that took all the credit. "The perfect place to look for inspiration is always a person's most personal thoughts," Jose had told them only moments before. Whatever that meant.

Juvia wandered through the near-identical pieces of work, and read them as she passed. A few caught the bassist's attention.

_They want me to die, and so do I—Anonymous_

_I wish I wasn't such a narcissist. I wish I didn't really kiss the mirror when I'm on my own. I hate that I love it—Anonymous_

_I feel that if were born a woman, then I wouldn't hate life as it is—Anonymous_

_I HATE MYSELF—Anonymous_

_So much hate in this world,_ she thought sadly. It was a shame that so many of these confessions were mostly based on fear, anger and – the most recurring theme – _hate_. It was something Juvia could relate to strongly – she had struggled with it her whole life – and all this negativity didn't inspire her, it only brought back bad memories. Memories of drinking herself out of depression and kissing strangers so the world would seem whole again; memories of smoking only to look cool and pleasing men for cash. It was all behind her, but it was creeping up and she didn't like it at all.

Juvia turned away from the large block letters declaring their self-loathing to the world. She would find an empty corner, and not think for a while. And then, right there, in big block letters—

_I'm in love with a stripper—Anonymous_

She stared at the words in awe. Why was her confession so big? She didn't expect it to even make the exhibition – it was so vague and so taboo, after all – let alone get a whole wall to itself. Why was there so much attention on her secret? She wanted to kick herself for even making the damn confession. She had hoped it would go unnoticed. But no; there were people looking at it, taking photos, people that didn't even know her, and—

And she needed air. She turned right away from the wall bearing her most personal secret and found herself face-to-face with the object of her affections.

"G-Gray?" Juvia stuttered, shocked at his sudden appearance.

"Hi, Juvia," he replied coolly. "You here too?"

Juvia nodded weakly. "U-um, yes," she answered. "Totomaru organized for us to go here today."

"What a coincidence that you're here today," Gray said. "Erza's friends with the owners of this place, and she knows some of the staff—so she dragged us along. Kinda literally. My ear still hurts," he said, rubbing it. It _did_ look a little red.

Juvia giggled at the mental image of the red-haired woman forcibly pulling Gray and the rest along by their ears. "D-do you want to walk around?" she asked hopefully.

Gray smiled and reached for her hand. "Let's go." Before they could go anywhere, he glanced behind them at Juvia's confession.

"Tragic, that," he murmured.

"Hmm," Juvia hummed in agreement, trying her very hardest not to blush.

"I'm in a dilemma myself," he continued.

"Oh? Could Juvia help?"

Gray smiled, pleased with her response. "I hope so. Here, I'll show it to you." He pulled her along through confession after confession, past walls and people and big black block letters, his destination in mind. As they walked, Juvia felt her heartbeat increase as she caught a whiff of his minty-fresh cologne mixed with her own perfume.

Gray abruptly stopped in front of a framed confession, looking at her expectantly. Juvia gave him a questioning look, but read the confession upon his request. Her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened as she looked at it in awe.

_I'm in love with a rain woman—Anonymous_

"Gray..." She couldn't get any further than that. Words failed her.

"What do you say?" Gray asked. He looked anxious and worried and affectionate and playful and smug and so incredibly handsome at that moment. "Does the rain woman love the stripper?"

Juvia felt tears threatening to come, so she did the only thing she could think of to do. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her heart was beating so fast, and when he kissed back she was afraid it would burst.

When she pulled away, they were both grinning. "She does!"

Before Gray or Juvia could say anything else, Totomaru's voice interrupted their moment.

"That's it! My inspiration! Kiss again!" he yelled, camera in hand. The couple looked at him in confusion, then their eyes met and they smiled.

* * *

The next month, Element Four released their newest album, 'Anonymity'. It became the #1 album in a matter of days, and two songs made the top 40 list.

The cover was a picture of a blue-haired rain woman and a raven-haired stripper sharing a kiss in an art gallery, with love confessions all around.

* * *

_August 26_

_8:21 Gray?_

_8:22 yeah?_

_8:23 Juvia loves you._

_8:25 gray loves juvia too 3 3 3_

_8:26 :) 3_

* * *

**Ah, gosh, thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review, I always appreciate constructive criticism! Please tell me if I made any mistakes. As for the OOC-ness...I am gomen.**

**Guilds mentioned and their AU occupations:**

**Fairy Tail—strip/host club**

**Lamia Scale—nightclub**

**Quatro Cerberus—restaurant/bar**

**Blue Pegasus—hotel**

**Mermaid Heel—art gallery**

**Phantom Lord—nightclub (shut down)**

**Dick euphemisms Juvia made about Gajeel: **

**Iron Dragon**

**Platinum Parts**

**Bismuth Balls**

**Copper Chameleon**

**Gold Gecko**

**Steel Scrotum**

**Magnesium Member**

**Barium Basilisk**

**Nickel Noodle**

**Silver Shlong**


End file.
